Does being rich make you happy? Many studies on happiness give negative answers. Here are some points in being happy.
Basic Human Needs Must Be Met
People whose basic needs for shelter, clothing and food are not met will find it very difficult to feel happy. Of course, there are exceptions, but for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.
The Joneses Cannot Be Escaped
People’s happiness is not determined by how much they have, but by how much people around them have. So, we tend to feel happy once our basic needs are met and we have more than the people surrounding us.
This means that while keeping up with the Joneses could be destructive if we let it go too far. It is also part of humana nature to want to feel at least on the same level, financially, as those surrounding us.
You Should Escape The Rat Race
We should know the importance of staying out of the rat race. So yes, you need to work hard, get the education you need to land a good job and work long enough and hard enough to get to a place where you can easily meet your basic needs. What are basic needs? For most middle or upper middle class Americans, basic needs are not very basic anymore.
For most of us, once our basic needs have been met, happiness is achieved when we engage in activities we like, spend time with friends and family and stay active. Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy.
Ideally, these questions should be answered when you’re still young and just starting out. Don’t wait until your midlife crisis to realize that half your life has passed you by and you’re still unhappy.
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the passage?A．The research on happiness.B．Key points on being happy.C．What makes people feel unhappy.D．Being rich makes people happy.【小题2】In the view of the author, we know that .A．people need to have a place to live first of allB．human basic needs are not necessary for being happyC．human basic needs are fundamental for being happyD．one will be happy if he has enough money【小题3】What does the underlined phrase”the Joneses” in Paragraph 4 probably stand for?A．Expensive things.B．Neighbors.C．Money.D．Richer people.【小题4】From the passage, what is the purpose of people probably to do in “the rat race”?A．To enjoy their life with family.B．To get high education for better jobs.C．To work too hard for money only.D．To work hard for basic needs.【小题5】What’s the attitude of the author towards the passage?A．Money is a big problem, but money isn’t everything.B．The love of money is the root of all evil.C．Money doesn’t grow on trees.D．Money is happiness.B
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(答案→)B
解析：本文论述了人们对于幸福的不同的理解，满足人们的生活需要是幸福最基本的保证，其次，人们都愿意与周围的人相比，愿意比别人持平或者高于他们，再者，有的人辛辛苦苦的劳动为了挣钱，挣得钱很多，也不一定得到了幸福。作者指出钱是重要的，但不是万能的。
【小题1】这是主旨大意题。根据Here are some points in being happy.故选B。
【小题2】这是细节理解题。根据for most of us, we can only be happy once our basic needs are met.对于大多数人来说只要满足了最基本的需要，就是幸福的，故选C。
【小题3】这是细节理解题。根据It is also part of humana nature to want to feel at least on the same level, financially, as those surrounding us.我们要和周围的人在经济上保持持平，才觉得可以，故选B。
【小题4】这是细节理解题。根据Making money for the sake of making money does not make people happy.努力工作只是为了挣钱，故选C。
【小题5】这是作者观点题。通读全文可知，为了生活我们必须满足日常消费，而不要拼命地为了挣钱而挣钱，钱不是一切。根据You Should Escape The Rat Race可知应选A。